Emotion
by sanitysugar
Summary: Magic is capable of a number of incredible feats, even giving two lonely boys a friendship no one ever expected.
1. What Dreams May Come

At six years old, all Harry wanted was a friend.

No one talked to him at school, the other kids learning early on that hanging around Harry made them a target of Dudley's bullying, so he couldn't make any friends there. At his relatives, he always had so many chores and was always being punished for something, that he could never go to the park to try and make friends there, either.

So, at six years old, Harry wished for a friend harder than he'd ever wished for anything else. At six years old, Harry started sharing his dreams with a boy so far away, he didn't have to worry about Dudley chasing him away like everyone else. He became friends with a boy named Anakin Skywalker.

Anakin was Harry's best friend, and Harry was Anakin's. They shared their dreams most nights, meeting in a strange amalgamation of the park on Privet Drive and the desert of Tatooine, the planet that Anakin was from. Being children, it was easy to accept that they were from different worlds without the disbelief that comes with age. Harry would never be able to meet Anakin's mother, who he liked very much from when Anakin spoke of her, but Harry would never have to worry about his friend meeting his horrible relatives, especially his uncle Vernon, so it seemed a fair trade in Harry's mind. The more time passed, the closer they became. This is how they built a bond that would one day alter the fate of an entire galaxy.

When the boys were nine, several very pivotal events happened.

First, Anakin was freed from slavery by a Jedi to be trained in the ways of his galaxy's most ancient warriors.

He shared everything he learned with Harry about the Jedi and The Force, the mysterious power they all used. This came in quite handy when Anakin, who'd always had trouble sitting still for long periods and was, as a byproduct, having a very difficult time learning how to meditate. They found that if the two of them meditated together with some form of body contact, Anakin could meditate with ease using Harry to ground himself. Harry was able, with only minimal difficulty, to convince his stubborn friend to tell Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin's teacher, about his need for contact to meditate properly. Obi-Wan, while initially hesitant, quickly saw for himself how easy it was for Anakin to meditate when they did so back-to-back. Soon after, it became a common sight in the Jedi Temple where they trained to see them meditating together instead of apart, backs pressed comfortably together and faces relaxed. Over the next few years, their mutual meditation was tried by other Jedi and proven especially helpful to others who often had trouble meditating the way Anakin had.

Second, the two boys discovered that any training they did in their shared dreamscape translated into the real world.

Besides meditation, Anakin also taught Harry everything he could about the physical aspects of being a Jedi. This somehow led the two of them to perform intricate "dances" with one another, making both boys much more graceful than their ever-growing bodies would have otherwise permitted. These dances also worked like a form of meditation for the two of them, Anakin able to let go of even his most stubborn emotions, while Harry could always feel something drifting on the edge of his senses. Harry couldn't properly describe what he felt, just that it was ancient, and welcoming, but every time he tried to hold on to whatever it was, it slipped away from him. When Harry and Anakin weren't teaching each other or meditating, they were performing these increasingly intricate dances that Harry somehow always knew, the two of them steadily growing stronger and faster. Harry, being the more observant of the two, noticed when he was running from Dudley and no longer had to struggle to stay ahead of his cousin and his friends more than a few feet. Anakin, once it was pointed out, also noticed he was faster and stronger than he would have been otherwise when learning how to perform the different saber forms and had been praised by Obi-Wan for how easily he managed the more complicated flips and jumps he was taught.

Lastly, Harry discovered that he had a power all his own.

Harry was, once again, being chased by his cousin and his friends as was a very often occurrence. Very rarely did Harry ever get caught anymore, only when he was caught off-guard somehow, and it had been once such time when Harry found out about his own abilities. Harry had been chased into a corner, guaranteed a beating when Dudley caught up, and was wishing very strongly to be anywhere but the small space he inadvertently trapped himself, when he'd felt a surge of, something, and found himself suddenly in the thankfully empty park near his relatives' home. Naturally, Harry had told Anakin and, once the initial excitement had worn-off, the two had set to figuring out this latest development. Neither boy had any success in their own realities, unable to find any information about Harry's newfound power, but they had quite a bit more success in their dreamscape.

Mediation proved to be very helpful to Harry, allowing him to find that something again in the very center of his being. His core, for that's what it was, gave off a myriad of emotions and feelings that Harry recognized as his own, shining a darkly bright green-grey that he somehow knew was his color and reminded him of moonlight, the same way that he knew Anakin was brilliant blue-white, as blinding as the sun. Once Harry found his core, it was always there in the back of his mind, waiting to be used, and use it Harry did. The boys soon found that if Harry wanted enough, he could do nearly anything, and the more he used his newfound power, the easier it became. Life at the Dursley's became much easier for Harry after that and the two boys, though worlds apart, were content for the moment. Anakin was no longer a slave, was training to become a Jedi, and Harry, though not a slave in the tradition, had no true qualms about his situation as he had Anakin and his own power to make things better. More time passed, things normalizing for both boys, until the day an owl came to deliver a letter to Harry Potter.

Harry very quickly decided that, while incredible at first, the wizarding world was most definitely not where he belonged.

Everywhere he went, just a quick glance of the scar on his forehead, and people were suddenly clamoring around him. Thanks to his time at the Dursley's, Harry knew very well not to show his discomfort at being the constant center of attention, but it didn't make him feel any less claustrophobic. Not everything was bad, he'd made a friend in the half-giant Hagrid and a wonderful companion in Hedwig, a snowy gifted to him by Hagrid, but just a few hours in and Harry could feel the wrongness. And that was on top of all the things he had just found out about his parents and the events that had taken place when he was an infant. The most memorable event for Harry, though, was definitely his visit to Ollivander's for a wand.

Apparently, in order to do magic, for that's what they called the power they all used, you had to use a wand. There were exceptions, of course, but they all came with age and experience, or the use of some other type of focus, and Harry was incredibly confused. He could feel the magic of the people around him, had learned to do so after spending so much time familiarizing himself with his own and then Anakin's, and it was very easy for him to make things float or change their shape and color. He could transport himself from one place to another with barely a thought after so much practice, and he didn't require a wand to do any of it. Granted, the wizards and witches around him were certainly more noticeable than someone unable to use magic, and far less noticeable than he and Anakin, but he could feel all of them nonetheless without the use of a wand or focus of any kind. Harry didn't tell Hagrid this, of course, having seen most everyone in the alley using a wand at some point and not wanting to draw even more attention, so he let the man lead him to the shop.

Hagrid had left him outside the shop, having some of his own shopping to take care, and watched Harry step inside before he'd left. Harry, not immediately seeing anyone in the shop, had opened his senses when a surprisingly spry older man came out from between the floor to ceiling shelves that took up nearly the shop. He felt like snow to Harry, soft and welcoming but hiding many secrets underneath, and he found himself relaxing without meaning too, "I was wondering when I would be seeing you in my shop, Mr. Potter."

Harry wasn't surprised the man knew who he was, apparently everyone in the wizarding world did, but there was something deeper in the words he couldn't place, "A very long time I've waited for the son of James and Lily Potter, a long time indeed."

Harry, eager for more information about his family, couldn't help leaning forward in interest against the counter he hadn't even realized he had approached, "Did you know my parents, sir?"

Ollivander gave a rather cryptic smile, turning to a nearby shelf and pulling out boxes in an order Harry had no hope of figuring out, "Indeed I did, Mr. Potter. After all, I sold them both their wands. Granted, your mother didn't really need one, just as you don't, every witch and wizard must have one."

Harry's eyes were wide, a warmth in his chest at having another thing in common with his parents besides his otherworldly green eyes, "My mother didn't need a wand?" His thoughts catching up, his eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion, "How d'you know if I need a wand or not?"

Ollivander came out of the shelves, dropping off a round of boxes, and lowered his voice so Harry had to lean forward to hear him, "Because I am very old and have seen many things. You're mother was not the first changeling I encountered and you are not the first half-blood, though you are the most powerful I've seen. And you must never tell anyone you do not fully trust, or very bad things could happen."

There was a heavy weight to the words, the excitement at learning something about his parents and himself drowned out by the seriousness in the grey-blue eyes boring into his own. Eyes wide, he could only give a nod in his response, his throat suddenly tight. Ollivander gave him a kind smile before disappearing back into the shelves, the sound of moving boxes reaching his ears as he slowly regained his voice, "Mr. Ollivander, could you, um, tell me more?"

Harry felt a flush in his cheeks, he was usually much better with words than this, and was rewarded by a faint laugh between the shelves, "Of course, Mr. Potter. What would you like to know?"

The words came easier this time, almost too easy as they rushed out with barely a pause between them, "How can you tell?"

Ollivander emerged again with another stack of boxes, setting them down before pointing a hand at one of his eyes, "Because of the color of your eyes, dark and bright, shining with an inner light if you know where to look. Usually the eyes are blue, green is incredibly rare, but few know where to look anymore, regardless. Now, open these boxes one at a time and get a feel for the wands inside. You'll know when you've found the right one."

Harry did as instructed, taking care with each wand he tried, reaching out with his core to get a feel for them. After a few moments had passed, and quite a few wands, Harry decided to brave another question, "You called me powerful, but, how can you tell?"

Ollivander smiled jovially, looking delighted at the question, "Because you are the moon, not simply a star or a cloud floating in the dark expanse, but a guiding light. You are a constant, and all constants are powerful."

Harry froze, hand poised over yet another wand, and looked up at the man so fast it was a miracle he didn't injure himself, "And you're snow, a welcoming surface with many secrets underneath." The words were quiet, lingering in the air, and the smile turned into a cheshire grin.

"Tell me, Mr. Potter, have you found a sun yet?"

Harry gulped audibly, barely daring to breath, and let his hand drop without conscious thought, "Yes."

"Then you are very blessed, indeed." Ollivander pulled a box out of the pile, placing it on front of Harry, before turning to disappear back into that shelves, "Try that one, I'll be back in a moment."

Harry tried the wand, finding that it matched, though not quite perfectly, and knew this would be the wand he walked out with. Ollivander came back barely a moment later, a very old and large book in his arms along with a small box, and placed them in front of Harry, "I gave the book to your mother once, it served her quite well, just as it will serve you. Inside the box is, well, you'll find out once you read the book. That'll be eight galleons for the wand and a promise to return the book once you've finished it, Mr. Potter."

There was still a weight in the air, that sense of trust lingering regardless, and he wondered absently why he was taking all of this so well. There was something so familiar about Ollivander, something that had him listening without question, and it wasn't until he was ensconced back in the second bedroom at the Dursley's, book and box hugged tightly to his chest while Hedwig slept nearby, that he remembered how the man's eyes had pierced his own. Harry had been drawn into his eyes, blue-grey and shining from the inside. Harry definitely had a lot to tell Anakin when he went to sleep.

I have a special fondness for Ollivander, just in case that wasn't obvious.

Also, everything is self-beta'd, so please excuse any errors I might have missed.


	2. A Glimpse

"Wait, what do you mean he knew what you were?!"

Anakin was staring at Harry with his eyes wide, the rest of his face still, like he was trying to compose himself and failing, and Harry always found the look amusing. No matter how hard Anakin tried to look calm on the outside, his body always found a way to express his emotions with somewhat entertaining results.

Harry smiled a little, eyes glinting with amusement, before he he forced himself to be as serious as an eleven year old could be, "I mean exactly what I said. My mother wasn't human, so, as a result, I'm not entirely human either."

Anakin opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to figure how to respond, before he crossed his arms wth a huff, "But you look like a human, even if you can do things neither one of us can really explain," Anakin looked away with a glare, crossing his arms over his chest, and gave up any sense of Jedi control he'd learned in the last couple years, "It doesn't really matter, though, does it? We're still brothers, even if you're not fully human."

Harry couldn't resist the impish grin, hands finding their way to his hips as he titled his head to one side, "Or related."

Harry's grin widened at the small snort and smile he earned in return, Anakin turning back to face him, "That too."

With a saucy wink he'd picked up from watching the telly when the Dursleys weren't home, Harry held out a hand to Anakin, "Care for a dance?"

Anakin, with an eyeroll and a small smile, took Harry's hand, "Any one in particular in mind?"

The two boys, with the ease of practice, fell into mirrored stances, hands pressed with their palms together, opposite feet forward, and bodies relaxed. Harry gave a hum, eyes dulling in thought, before shaking his head, "Nothing specific, but something with a lot of spins and, twists?"

Anakin nodded, long used to Harry's vague instructions, "Fancy feet and flowing arms?"

Harry let out a laugh, Anakin really did make their dances sound as simple as he could, and leaned forward in a bow over their hands while Anakin did the same, "Fancy feet and flowing arms sounds good."

Anakin and Harry moved together in sync, spinning and twisting to some unheard tune. The scenery slowly morphed around them as they danced, slowly changing from the desert-park it always started as into the Room Of A Thousand Fountains, a place Harry longed to see outside of their dreamscape someday. Harry was determined, especially now that he knew there was an entire world of people with abilities similar to his own, that he would find a way to Anakin one day. Someday, for certain, Harry would be able to see Anakin's galaxy in all it's splendor, meet all Anakin's precious people and care for them just as fiercely as the other boy did, no matter how long it took.

~~~~~~~~~~~~HPSW~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry had seen, through Anakin's memories, a number of incredible places, but he still wasn't prepared for the sight of Hogwarts castle. He had seen Coruscant and the Jedi Temple, the Royal Palace on Naboo, the endless deserts of Tatooine, but it was nothing like looking at Hogwarts with his own eyes. The castle was alive in a way he doubted anyone else could see, and even from a distance it gave off such a felling of _welcome_ , of _acceptance_ , that Harry had to quickly wipe his eyes as they started to tear. Most of the other first years had awe written all over their faces from the sight of the castle, it was truly magnificent to behold, but they couldn't feel it the way Harry could. Harry almost mechanically entered one of the boats Hagrid lead them to, ending up in the same one as three familiar faces from the train, managing to bring back his focus back to those around him and how they felt instead of the near overwhelming presence of the castle.

Ron, a red-headed boy who'd sat in his compartment, felt like a spark, quick to catch and long to burn, and Harry decided to keep a close on him, he seemed like the type to put his foot in his mouth and not realize until it was too late. The other boy in their boat, Neville, felt like a tree the way Hagrid did, but was still just a sapling, easily tossed about in the wind, but with sturdy roots. He would grow into his own some day, but he was quite vulnerable at the moment, and Harry was going to make sure no one cut him down before he could grow. Hermione, the only girl in the boat, felt like a wide and shallow river, with a current just fast enough to sweep someone off their feet if they weren't careful. Getting across would be hard work, but worth it for whatever lay on the other side.

Harry knew he was already getting attached, to people he barely knew beyond their names, but his magic was pushing him towards them, and it had never led him wrong before. Anakin would always be his first friend, his brother, but Ollivander had called him a guiding light, and he knew somehow that these three would need one in the future. Now, if only he could find a way to help the crumbling marble of a boy he'd met on the train.

~~~~~~~~~~~~HPSW~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If Harry had ever expected Hogwarts to be boring, he would have been sorely disappointed. As it was, Harry was having the time of his life.

Harry had, in the course of just a few short months, somehow managed to join the Gryffindor Quiditch team, befriend a three-headed dog, see the hatching of a dragon, _an actual dragon_ , and gone into the Forbidden Forest far more times than Hagrid realized. He'd also gained himself a self-proclaimed rival in Draco Malfoy and a pair of pseudo-mentors in all things mischief in Fred and George Weasley. The only thing missing was Anakin some undeterminable number of parsecs away, otherwise Harry would have been the happiest boy in the galaxy, though it was a near thing.

Of course, it wasn't all good, like the Potions Professor that hated him for some unknown reason and the fact that someone was trying to kill him, though he wasn't sure who, but they were manageable. And last, but by no means least, was the book.

The book given to him by Ollivander was a wealth of knowledge on what Harry was rapidly considering to be his people, even if the only other one he'd met was Ollivander. Anything and everything Harry could ever hope to know about the fae, the race he now knew he was a part of, was in the book. The more Harry read, the more he was fascinated, and the more in tune with himself and his surroundings he became. Harry had read stories about them already, hadn't cared about the punishment he'd eventually gotten when his relatives found out, but that's all they had been at the time, just stories. The same way wizards and magic had been just stories only a few months ago, and now he was attending a school for magic.

Harry also finally had an explanation for the dances he and Anakin always performed and why he always knew them, he could even find their names, and it amused Anakin to no end whenever he went off on an excited tangent about some new sequences of steps he'd learned just by seeing their name or description on a page. Every step, spin, twirl, flip, and jump had it's own name and meaning, it's own purpose by itself or in a dance, even a specific angle of dip or bow or arm could change the dance entirely.

In addition to the dances were songs, numerous songs, all in the language of the fae, and Harry was determined to learn them all. Some songs went with very specific dances, while others were sung only by themselves, and he found them just as fascinating as the dances. There was an instinctual knowledge of everything he learned from the book, as if he was remembering something long forgotten, and he "remembered" more with every turn of the page.

After the dances and songs came fighting styles, and, after that, came the language and magic. The fae fought the same way they danced, with graceful motions and good intentions, hand to hand meant to disarm, the use of weapons meant to disable, with very few ways of causing permanent harm. They also required an exceptional deal of control, as fae were quite a bit stronger than humans, and every move had to have the right amount of gentle force to defeat an opponent without accidentally causing massive damage. Harry soon figured out the book was put together in such an order because everything built on whatever came before. The dances and songs gave purpose and control, making the fighting much easier to grasp, while the fighting prepared for the implications of the language and magic.

Every word, just like every step and song, carried meaning, but also power if invoked. A word on its own was just that, a word, but a word said with intent carried power, carried magic. The words were similar, in some ways, to the spells of witches and wizards, but were far more powerful and flexible. Based on the intent behind the word, the result could be very different from one instance to the next. Unlike wizarding magic, there was seemingly no limit to what fae magic could do, and Harry very quickly became proficient in that as well.

Harry was, in a word, enchanted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~HPSW~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry had wasted no time in passing on everything he learned from the book onto Anakin, and was ecstatic when Anakin became as fascinated with the songs as Harry was with everything else. As a result, their dances together became much more complex and full of meaning. Every time they danced or sang, they could feel something just on the edge of their senses, trying to get their attention. They didn't what it was, but they could both feel it, and Harry got the sense it would have been much stronger outside of their dreamscape. The two of them tried many times to focus on whatever it was, but it always seemed to slip out of their grasp, just barely out of reach, and it soon became just another one of the many mysteries of their shared space. Harry and Anakin accepted it as they had everything else since their first dream together, and time moved on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~HPSW~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christmas was a very interesting time of year for Harry and Anakin.

While there were a number of holidays in Anakin's galaxy that were similar, Harry and Anakin themselves had never truly celebrated. Anakin had not been raised with any such holidays, slaves on Tatooine didn't have anything similar and neither did the Jedi, while Harry had never truly celebrated it because of his relatives and the fact his only friend was an undeterminable distance away. Aside from Harry seeing Dudley being showered by gifts, the two boys treated Christmas like any other day. As a result, Harry was quite surprised when he woke up on Christmas morning to find gifts addressed to him under the tree in the common room.

Harry had made sure to send gifts to everyone he considered a friend, including Ollivander, but after so long of the day being essentially a non-event, Harry hadn't actually expected anything in return. He was pleasantly surprised when he found gifts from all his friends and wasted no time in putting on the sweater Ron's mother had made for him. Harry had been even more pleasantly surprised by the invisibility cloak that, if the note left with it was true, had belonged to his father. Harry decided that he would have to test out the cloak later that night after Ron went to sleep, but first, he would have to open the box Ollivander had given him all those months ago that had somehow found it's way under the tree.

Harry wasn't sure how he had managed to forget about it, likely some combination of excitement and all the new information he'd learned over the past few months, but he certainly wasn't going to again. Harry quickly whisked the box out of sight, the strangest urge to keep it hidden flashing through him, and resolved to open it before he went gallivanting through the castle later. Now, though, it was time for Christmas breakfast.

~~~~~~~~~~~~HPSW~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day passed quickly for Harry, mostly uneventful after opening his first Christmas presents that morning, and soon he found himself in bed with the curtains drawn around him. His cloak was sitting next to him, waiting to be used, while Harry stared at the box Ollivander had given him.

The box itself was simple, just small enough to fit in the palm of his hand and made of a light wood, and Harry was trying to figure out why he couldn't bring himself to open it. For several long moments, Harry had just been staring at it, eager to open it yet still hesitating. With a narrowing of his eyes and a slight frown, Harry reached for the box. He pulled it open before he could stop himself, breath hitching at the sudden wave of magic that washed over him. There was something incredibly familiar about it, comforting, but Harry knew he'd never felt this magic before. Harry took a shuddering breath to steady himself as he looked inside the box, wanting to know what gave off such magic.

The first thing that caught his attention was a slip of paper attached to the top of the box with the words "Use them wisely" written in flowing letters on it. Harry found himself smiling as he looked further inside, his excitement building as a pair of pendants. Harry pulled them out reverently as magic continued to pour off of them, wrapping him around in a loose embrace. Both of the pendants were made of a clear crystal and perfectly round, one attached to a gold chain, while the other was attached to a silver one. Harry took a pendant in each hand and closed his eyes, getting a better feel for their magic. Harry carefully prodded them with his own magic, surprised when it wrapped around them easily, being drawn inside. Harry opened his eyes and looked down at the pendants, letting his magic be drawn into them as he watched with fascination.

Instead of the clear of before, the crystals were now a just a shade darker than his eyes. As Harry continued to let his magic flow, the crystals continued to change, until their centers seemed to hold an inner light. He realized with a jolt that they were actually _storing_ his magic, holding and feeding off of it, and Harry eagerly let them take as much as they could.

Some time later, minutes or hours he couldn't tell, and his magic finally stopped being fed into the crystals. Harry studied them for a moment longer, willing them to divulge their secrets, before he looked away from them. Feeling suddenly tired, Harry decided to test out his new cloak the next night. With a yawn, Harry put both of the crystals around his neck before he pulled up the covers. He was asleep before his eyes finished closing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~HPSW~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two boys shared their dreams together that night the same way they always did, Anakin telling Harry about everything he'd done that day before Harry did the same. After they finished sharing, they would either meditate or dance together, sometimes even sing, before teaching each other as much as they could about what they learned in their respective realities. They had danced with a song that night, their own pseudo-celebration for Christmas, and they had completely finished before Harry felt what was quickly becoming a familiar weight around his neck.

With a glance down at his chest, Harry reached into his shirt and pulled out the two crystals. Anakin gasped as he caught sight of them, the mental image he'd made based on what Harry told him nothing compared to the "real" thing, and couldn't risk reaching out a hand. He managed to stop himself before he made contact, his hand hanging limply in the air between them, as he shared a confused look with Harry. Beyond the clothes they wore to sleep, nothing from their actual realities had ever come into their dreams before, and both boys were equal parts confused and excited. With a tremble in his voice, Anakin let his hand drop back to his side, "Are those the crystals you told me about?"

Harry found a sudden lump in his throat, forcing out a quiet "Yes" in response. With careful movements, Harry grabbed the crystal on the silver chain and pulled it over his head, holding it out to Anakin. The other boy's hand twitched, his arm coming up in a jerky motion, and he grabbed the crystal before he realized what he doing. There was an energy in the air, the same energy that always hovered on the edge of their senses now, and Anakin sucked in a breath as warmth rolled over him. Wordlessly, Anakin slipped it over his head, and tried to figure out why he suddenly felt the safest he could ever remember being. He clutched at the crystal that now hung around his neck with a sudden moisture building in his eyes and looked at Harry to see him in a similar state, "What's happening?"

Harry only shook his head in response, just as confused. He was so happy, and he had no idea why, his magic spreading out into the air in a way it had never been able to in their dreams. Something had fundamentally changed, something major, and the crystals were at least the catalyst, if not the cause. Harry had the strongest feeling that something incredibly significant had just happened, perhaps life-changing, and he reached out to Anakin with a gasp. The other boy met him halfway, just as shaken, as they tried to find their voices and composure without success. The two stayed that way for the rest of their dream, clinging to each other and the other crystals with no discernible reason, until they awoke in their beds, shaken but somehow more content than they'd ever felt.

Much of the day had passed before either one realized they each wore a single crystal, the weight of them comforting in the mass of confusing emotions they both felt without explanation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~HPSW~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry dropped his hand as he realized he'd been stroking the crystal again, something he'd been doing all day without conscious thought, and felt a blush rise in his cheeks. He was supposed to have better control than this, the Dursley's and his nearly nightly meditations had made certain of that, but it was as if all his emotions had heightened since putting on the crystal. Only eleven years old, Harry might have been, but that was no excuse for his lack of control. It was one thing to find himself laughing at a well-executed prank or smiling when he watched Hedwig gracefully snatch a piece of bacon off the table without even slowing in the Great Hall, but it was another thing entirely to find himself in tears at a sharp retort from Malfoy or contemplating homicide when someone insulted Neville.

Malfoy had started freaking out when Harry had sniffled, both of them knowing he didn't mean any of his sharp jabs the way he had just a few short months ago, and had gone nearly catatonic when Harry had covered his mouth to stifle his sobs. There had been a number of stuttered apologies that weren't entirely coherent as Malfoy's pitch increased with his panic, thankful there had been no one else in the halls to see them at the time, as Harry had quite literally _broken down_ over a couple of sharp words that weren't even strong enough to be considered insults. The two of them weren't friends by any stretch of the imagination, but Harry had been subtly working on Malfoy's crumbling marble since their first day, and the two of them had been slowly transitioning into acquaintances that traded quips instead of greetings when they saw each other. Malfoy had held out a handkerchief to him, his initials delicately embroidered on one corner, and Harry had started stuttering apologies and words of his own that made almost much sense as Malfoy's had, that is to say, not much at all.

After several minutes and Harry's sobs reduced to quiet sniffles, Malfoy had been red to the roots of his blond hair and rushed away with jumbled mess of words that Harry was roughly able to decipher into keep the handkerchief and I won't tell anyone. Harry had found himself blushing to his own roots, steam nearly coming out of his ears, as he'd stuffed the handkerchief into his pocket and raced back to Gryffindor Tower in record time with more speed than he knew possessed and some incredible jumps up between the shifting staircases. He knew a number of paintings had been watching him in various degrees of disbelief as he didn't think twice about jumping across what should have been impossible gaps, but he couldn't find it in himself to care about any potential rumors or consequences, and had easily let the Weasley's distract him until he could sneak out with his cloak later that night.

Harry had gone to visit Fluffy first, singing a song for the three-headed dog that had greeted him with some very enthusiastic licks and made Harry very thankful he could use magic, before going on to explore a section of the castle he hadn't been to yet. That was how Harry found himself staring into a mirror that was unlike any he had ever encountered before.

At first, Harry had only seen his own reflection, wondering why there was a mirror stored in one of the castle's numerous empty classrooms and why it gave off a significant amount of magic. It wasn't nearly as much as the crystals had given off, barely a drop now that Harry's magic continued to slowly feed into it, but it was more than enough to catch Harry's attention and make him want a closer look. Harry had been staring at himself for a long moment before he'd blinked and felt a ripple in the mirror's magic, gasping as the new sight that greeted him.

In the center of the mirror, Harry knew he was looking at himself, older and in odd clothing he'd never seen before with a wide smile on his face, but it was definitely him. He stared at himself for a long second before looking at the figure standing next to him, his heart skipping a beat as he realized it was Anakin. The image of Anakin shifted as Harry stared, giving him a smirk as he draped an arm over his older self's unfortunately much shorter shoulders, and a wave of fondness crashed over him. It took Harry even longer still to look away from himself and Anakin, encouraged by the mischievous glint in his own otherworldly eyes, and didn't think he could be any more surprised than he already was. From the side of the mirror Anakin was standing on came a man in cream colored Jedi robes, contrasting Anakin's own dark brown robes, with reddish brown hair and blue eyes, a well-trimmed beard only adding to his kind expression and handsome features, and Harry had a suspicion this was the Obi-Wan Kenobi that Anakin practically adored. His suspicion was confirmed when the man placed a hand on Anakin's shoulder and received a grin in return, but his attention was taken by the appearance of a woman next to Obi-Wan that immediately gained almost all of Anakin's attention and a rather goofy smile.

The woman was beautiful, long brown hair cascading down her back and gentle but firm brown eyes meeting Anakin's own, a matching smile on her face. This woman was important to Anakin, or would be, and Anakin was important to her, he could see the love in their eyes as they looked at each other and Harry found himself smiling broadly at the thought of his friend's happiness. Harry was so focused on the lovestruck pair that he was quite startled when someone came barreling into view and latched onto his future self.

Harry had ben given many descriptions from Anakin of the many species that called his galaxy home, but he had never actually seen any of them, and he couldn't remember any descriptions that quite matched the girl that had very firmly plastered herself to his side with a grin, one of his own arms going around her with a fond smile. Her skin was orange and her face had white markings on it that Harry knew were part of her skin and not just tattoos that framed a pair of large blue eyes. Harry noticed with no small amount of interest that, instead of hair, she had what Anakin had told him were called lekku, essentially head tentacles, that were striped with blue and white. This girl would be important to him in the future, likely the same way Anakin was, and he wondered just how he could lead himself to that point.

Harry didn't realize he was crying for the second time that day until his vision blurred, his throat constricting almost painfully. Harry pulled out Malfoy's handkerchief and swiped at his eyes, sending a mental thanks to the Slytherin, as he cursed his emotions. If he hadn't already spent a significant amount of time in tears that day, Harry strongly suspected his current waterworks would have been much worse. As it was, he was able to force a few rasping breaths through his lungs and start calming himself down fairly quickly. All day long, he'd been feeling everything much more deeply than ever before, and he was getting very tired of the emotional whiplash that was occurring. He'd always felt things strongly, his emotions running deeper than anyone else's, and he'd learned from the book that it was apparently a fae trait, a side effect of them being so in tune with magic of any kind, but this was approaching ridiculous.

Regaining his composure, Harry put the handkerchief away and gave the mirror one last long look, getting encouraging looks from Obi-Wan and the woman while Anakin and the girl both gave him mischievous smiles. His future self detached from Anakin and the girl just long enough to give a parting bow that he recognized as a fae gesture and gave one of his own before throwing his cloak back on and heading for the tower. There was a lot to tell Anakin about tonight, and a grin found it's way to his face, a giggle escaping before he could get the urge under control. Harry couldn't find it in himself to be frustrated at his latest slip, a spring in his step leading to a number of unnecessary acrobatics and dancing steps as he went through the halls. A lot to tell Anakin, indeed.

Spent this entire chapter listening to "You Belong To Me" from Burial At Sea, it seemed oddly fitting.


End file.
